Hitchfield Academy
by starbucksmarano
Summary: "Welcome to Hitchfield Academy, Mr. Moon. We are very happy you could join us...
1. Chapter 1

_"Mr. Moon, there is nothing you need to worry about. Hitchfield Academy has provided a good education for teenagers for over 75 years. I'm quite positive you'll enjoy it."_

I pressed my nose against the window and closed my eyes. My heartbeat was unsteady and worry was scribbled onto my scrunched brow. After years of going from home to home, I was finally settling down...at a private school. The previous Foster homes passed me along like an old toy at a yard sale. And the cycle continued. New house, new family, new school, new life. I fuck up, and family sends me back. The continuous cycle for 6 solid years.

It's easy to fuck up when your parents are unprepared idiots. Yes, I am the product of one too many beers and an empty pickup truck. And then the parents realize _'oh, we can't raise a kid. we need the money for drugs and alcohol to block out reality.'_ And there I was, an 11 year old boy, kicked to the curb like a pile of trash.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Moon?"<p>

"Hmm?" I sat up and rubbed the oily smudge on the window off with my sweatshirt sleeve.

"I asked if you felt alright, you seem dazed."

"I'm fine, Ms. Lowel."

_Ah yes_, Victoria Lowel. A shy, collected woman. Her face pale face was bare to show her light freckles pampering her face like little kisses. The untamed red hair was neatly tuck in a tight, clean bun under her black feathered hat. And her crisp England accent cut through the heavy air like sunlight peaking through clouds on a rainy day.

Victoria was one of the house keepers at Hitchfield and had been sent to get me early this morning. She would sigh and tell long stories about her childhood and create awkward silence by pausing frequently, and she would follow with a "yes, well..."

"We're almost there Mr. Moon. I can see the rough sometimes when we turn around curves."

I smiled and leaned back, looking out at the forest surrounding the road. Live Oaks over hung creating a dark canopy that blocked out but only a few streaks of sunlight peaking through the cracks between the branches.

Victoria squealed and pressed her nail against the glass and tapped.

"There it is Mr. Moon! Oh, isn't it marvelous!"

I looked over the seat and gaped at the building in front if me. Its 3 story brick structor stood tall on the flat pavement with vines intertwining against the pipes that stood against it's side wall.

"Wow..."

"Oh Mr. Moon. This is your new school! Where you will go Monday through Thursday until 3:00 p.m. Now, we'll drive around to your house and get you settled. Please note Mr. Moon, you will be staying in the smallest house. Normally there would be around 8-10 students within a housing unit, but you will have 6 fellow students in yours."

"So me and 6 other boys?" I asked running my fingers up and down my sweatshirt strings.

Victoria laughed before shaking her head.

"No, no. There are 3 boys and 3 girls."

"Online it said boys and girls were separated."

"That's only for our freshmen and sophomores, Mr. Moon. You are a senior, which means the sexes are combined to learn how to dwell among each other."

"Oh, got it."

* * *

><p>The car came to a halt in front of a 2 story building built with the same brick as the first.<p>

"Ahhh, here we are Mr. Moon! Lets go inside and let you meet your house mates!"

I opened the car door and struggled to get my bag unstuck from the doorframe.

"Here," said a voice from behind. I turned around to face another sporting a burgundy jacket with the schools emblem on the left breast pocket.

I scratched the back of my neck.

"Uh...thanks man."

"Hey, don't mention it. I'm Brock by the way. And this here is my sister Bridget."

The smaller blonde girl waved two fingers before fiddling with the pencil sticking out of her binder.

"I'm Austin. I'm kinda new."

Brock chuckled before handing me my bag and wiping his hands on his dress pants.

"I can tell. Well, I guess I'll see you around. Nice meeting you." Brock and Bridget waved before walking toward the school where other students began to walk.

"Mr. Moon? Are you coming." Victoria said, sticking her head outside the house unit's door.

I picked up my bag and walked toward the door.

* * *

><p>"Woah..."<p>

My eyes scanned every inch of hallway. To the right, the spiral stair case framed the giant bookshelf and perhaps the coffee table. To the left, a door labeled 'Kitchen and Dining', and straight ahead lied a long hallway with several door framed in the wall.

"Mr. Moon, I would like you to meet you house unit leader, Ms. Dawson."

The stairs creaked as a pair a oxfords appeared along with 2 legs, a nice pair of hips, and a face. A pretty face. A pretty face framed by curly, brown hair and rosy cheek bones. And piercing brown orbs drilling into mine.

"Hi, I'm Ally Dawson. Welcome to House Unit number 12. And you must be Austin Moon. A pleasure to meet you." She smiled and held out her hand.

"Um yeah, the pleasures all mine." I stuttered out, shaking the girls hand.

"Why don't you follow me."

* * *

><p>She led me down the hallway and came to the first door. We stepped inside to the office looking room.<p>

"Have a seat while I go through some rules."

I sat and watched her shuffle through papers behind the desk in the filing cabinets. She licked his fingers and shuffled. Licked and shuffled. Licked a shuffled.

"Here," she slid several papers and a handbook across the desk.

"Like I said, I'm Ally Dawson and I'm your leader. You also have 5 other house mates. Mr. Wade, Mr. Lawrence, Mr. Dean, Ms. De La Rosa, and Ms. Turner. But you can introduce yourself at dinner. Speaking of dinner, your meal schedule is included on page 18 of the student handbook. Breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m, lunch will be served in the cafeteria at the meal hall at 12:00, and dinner will be served at 7:00 every night. If you are over 10 minutes late to dinner, you will have to miss that meal. Snacks are always available, but we would like you to keep your eating that doesn't evolve around your 3 meals to a minimum."

I flipped through my handbook and read over the meal schedule following up what Ally had said.

"Now, concerning your living needs. You and the other boys will be sleeping downstairs in your own bedrooms. You get a a bed, a desk, and a closet for hanging your uniforms and weekend clothing. The only reason you should ever go upstairs is incase of an emergency. Otherwise, we advise all males to stay in downstairs. Upstairs is where the females stay, including myself and 2 other girls. Although, we all share a co-ed bathroom downstairs down the hallway."

"What...so we can't interact? I thought living in a house together is supposed to help you connect with different sexes."

"Well, yes. Thats what our study and living room are for. We normally all hang here or in the student union across the lawn."

"And the student union is..."

"The student union is a place where all students gather to have a snack, hang out, study, or just interact with our surrounding peers. There is a pool table and snack bar."

I flipped through my note book and found myself staring at a page with a picture of an outside field.

"Whats that?" I asked pointing to the shot of several kids playing with a softball.

"Thats for our outdoor games and classes. If you signed up for a Physical Education elective or decide to join the other students in a game of soccer or baseball, you would come here. Lets see your schedule"

She skimmed over the paper folded neatly next to a pencil basket.

"Wonderful! We have a similar schedule. We both have AP English, French, and History. Oh, and we have Physical Education as our first elective. And we both have General Music...you're into music?"

I scratched the back of my neck.

"Yeah, I've been playing for as long as I can remember."

"Uh yeah...me too."

She cleared her throat before reaching under her desk to retrieve a phone and laptop.

"Here."

"Are these mine? But I don't think I can afford th-"

"They come with your scholarship. The school provides you with you technology. And everything else. All you need to give is your self, and work as hard as you can."

She smiled and folded her hands on the table. It gave me a chance to look at her. Like...really look at her.

Her hair was neatly combed and curled with a stiffened look of some cheap hairspray. I saw the faded blonde tips that were neatly trimmed, hung down past her small shoulders. The crows feet under her cappuccino orbs hid under the slightly dark circles, hooding her eyes. And her wide and bright smile met her high cheek bones.

"Now, I think we've covered everything you need to know for right now. Classes start at 9:00 a.m. We normally give new students the rest of the week to get settled in. But if you come to class tomorrow, I can help you around?"

I let a smile tug on my lips to match hers.

"Yeah...I'd like that."

"Wonderful!" She clasped her hands together with a quiet smack and rose from her seat. Why don't you get settled in while dinner is being prepared. I'll come get you in about on hour so you can meet some of your roommates."

"Cool, thanks Ally."

"No problem. Thats what house leaders do."

She opened the door and began to walk out. But she turned around to face me.

"And Austin..."

"Yeah?"

Her cheeks turned pink as she looked down at her oxfords.

"I'm really glad your here. I think you'll enjoy it here."

And she let the door close behind her.

* * *

><p>And I was alone. I was running. My breathe was short as I tryed to scream, but I couldn't. And I tripped.<p>

"No...NO!"

_Ally?_

She was screaming bloody murder.

"Ally!"

I looked, scanned. Nothing.

Branches crunched under a heavy foot.

A shadow. A giant, dark, humanly shadow.

It came closer...closer.

I squinted my eyes.

"Who are you?!"

It laughed.

It was wicked.

_Bad_

_Baad_

_Baaaaaad._

"Leave me alone!"

_**BANG!**_

* * *

><p>"Austin? Are you awake? It's time for dinner."<p>

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. It was Ally's voice...and she wasn't screaming. _Good._

I was laying in my bed. My clothes were scattered on the floor. But I was safe. _Good._

Ally peaked through the door and smiled. _Good._

"Are you ready? Your new house mates are waiting to meet you."

"Yeah, I'm starving."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello there:) Quick little note, I am switing from 1st to 3rd POV! And a HUGE thanks to all you reading. You guys rock:D**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>They walked down the hallway to meet the 5 unknown house mates. Smells of bread and some kind of hardy meat filled his nostrils. When they approached the door, he heard laughter. A sound he hadn't heard in quite a while.<p>

"Austin? Are you nervous?" Ally asked placing her hand on Austin's shoulder.

He looked down at her and realized how much shorter she was than him. And he smiled.

"No, I'm excited. Excited to meet my house mates."

"Good. You'll love them. When they heard that you were coming, they got so excited. I promise they don't bite."

Ally grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze before opening the door. 5 pairs of eyes landed on them.

"Hey guys! This is Austin!" Ally said as she lead Austin over to a spare couch.

Austin looked at them and admired their features. They looked very different from eachother. A redhead with an abnormal hair cut, a blonde with a bright smile and pigtails, a short latino with flowing curls, a boy with hair bigger than Elvis, and a small boy with a scar above his eye.

The redhead was the first to get up.

"Hi, I'm Dez. And this is my girlfriend Carrie." He pointed to the blonde playing with the flower barrettes in her hair.

"Nice to meet you guys."

The Elvis boy was next to get up with the latino attached to his arm.

"I'm Jace and this is Tr-"

The girl cut him off.

"I'm Trish, my boyfriend here needs to learn I can speak for myself."

And then they all looked at the small boy in the corner biting his nails. He got up and left the room.

Ally tapped Austin on the shoulder.

"Thats Miles. He's not that good with new people."

And Austin understood.

Dez clasped his hands together and began walking into the kitchen.

"Who's ready for some food? I fixed some spaghetti."

* * *

><p>They all walked over to the table and took their seats.<p>

Laughter and various conversations rung throughout the room. Jace and Dez talked about the chemistry assignment due next Tuesday while Trish and Carrie argued over purse designs. But Austin didn't speak. Nor did Ally. They both ate next to each other in awkward silence.

Ally placed her fork down and folded her hands. She leaned over and placed her lips against Austin's ear.

"Do you wanna tell me why you're here."

She leaned back and waited for him to speak, trying to read him over.

Austin twirled cold noodles around and around on his silverware.

"The same reason you're here, to get a great education."

"No, I mean the real reason you're here. You and I both know you came here to escape reality. I just wanna know why."

He placed his fork down making it clank against his bowl before looking into her chocolate pools called eyes.

"I'm a fucked up Foster kid. I jump from home to home just to screw up families. And somehow I always end up back at the damn adoption center. My parents are drug addicts and couldn't give an absolute shit about me. I want to meet people and get away from everything I've ever known, because I think thats best."

Ally smiled.

"You know, you're not the only one thats had a rough life."

She pointed at Dez.

"Dez, drug addict. He came here when his parents decided not to give him a roof over his head when he came back from juvenile prison. Been here for 2 years."

She moved her finger to Carrie.

"Carrie, almost-teen mother who suffered through an abortion. She felt so guilty she tried to drive her car off a cliff. She was sent to a mental house, and her parents were embarrassed to be seen with her. And here she is. She's been here for almost a year and a half."

She moved across the table to Jace.

"Jace, he got drunk and raped a girl. The police charged him with sexual assault and sent him here. And now he's been here for almost a year."

Then she pointed at Trish, falling asleep as Carrie continued to talk.

"And Trish. Trish was the first one here after me. She suffered from depression and almost committed suicide. The school found her and took her in. She's been here for 3 years."

Austin pursed his lips together.

"What about you, Ally? Why are you here?"

She laughed before leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Austin, I've never told anyone why I came here. And I don't plan to unless my life or any of yours depended on it."

He frowned and scrunched his brow.

"Austin I promise, if I ever decide to tell anyone why I came here, you'll be the first to know."

She paused.

"Austin, let me let you in on a little secret."

"I'm listening..."

"Have you ever wondered why we are the last house, the farthest from the school. And there are only 7 of us when all of the other houses have 10 members? It's because we're the weird house...they like to call us 'The Mess House'. We are different from any other students. Thats why they crammed us in the disaster house. So we could take care of our own problems, and we don't have to bother the school."

Austin pushed his plate back and put his elbow on the table, leaning his head on his hand. He thought and was silent. The school knew he was fucked...but how.

* * *

><p>"Dez!" screamed Carrie as she quickly grabbed her napkin, silverware flying everywhere.<p>

She removed the spaghetti sauce from her cheek and threw her napkin. Picking up her fork, she twirled noodles around the tongs and slung them at the redhead. But she missed. And the landed right Trish, who was now fuming.

"You idiots!" Picking up a spoonful of tomato sauce, she flicked the spoon, causing Carrie and Dez's white uniform shirts to be stained red.

"Guys, what the fu-" Jace sat shocked, as his face was now covered in tomato sauce.

Ally huffed before pushing her seat back and standing up.

"Peers! As your house unit leader, I find these actions irresponsible and uncalled for! Now all four of you clean up this mess th-" Ally gasped. Her clean and crisp white collar shirt now had thick, red sauce seeping down the front. Austin's eye's widened as he slowly scooted his chair back, waiting for someone to make their move.

_Hell. Broke. Loose._

Ally grabbed the pitcher of water and threw it, causing Carrie and Trish to now be soaked. Jace and Dez moved around the table to grab the salad bowl and chunked it down the back of Ally's blazer. She squirmed around trying to get all the cold lettuce out from under her jacket.

With her bad aim, Carrie heaved tomato sauce across to room to smack someone across the face. The voice swore under his breath.

"Oh, Austin...I didn't mean too-"

He grabbed the left over garlic rolls sitting on their plates and chunked them at the others while guarding his face with the bread basket.

* * *

><p>Dozens of meatballs and a whole pot of spaghetti later, they remained floor rolling around in tomato sauce and picking cold noodles out of their hair. Their chests heaved from laughing so hard.<p>

Ally turned to Austin and picked a falling noodle out from his blonde locks.

"Is this what you guys do every night? Because I'm going to need more clothes that aren't stained red." Austin said as he ruffled his hand in his hair, shaking loose pieces of lettuce lodged in between his strands of gold.

Ally giggled and used the back of her hand to wipe sauce from her cheeks.

"Why don't you go shower, while we clean up this mess."

She stood up, dusting off her skirt, and started raking crumbs into her cupped hand.

* * *

><p>He stood and looked. He looked at himself. He looked at himself really good. Noticing the dark bags under his eyes, his hair was dripping and standing up in many places, but his lips were curved into a smile. Not a guilty smile that meant he had done something terrible, or the smile you play a successful prank on a mean teacher. It was a happy smile. He was happy.<p>

* * *

><p>He scuffed his feet against the floor as he made his way down the hall to the living room area. And he saw the rest of his housemates sitting on the couch, munching on all sorts of licorice and popcorn. There was a seat open next to Ally, she patted it signaling it was claimed his. Everyone was here, lounging in their pajamas. Even Miles was seated in his corner, reading a book.<p>

"Here, I saved you some popcorn." Ally said, twisting a piece of red licorice around in her mouth.

Taking a handful of popcorn, he shoved it into his mouth and patted his damp hair with the towel hanging around his neck.

He looked at Ally. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, and her face was free of makeup. The little polkadots on her pajamas were purple and stood out against it's yellow background.

The clock struck 11 o'clock. _Ding, ding, ding._

"I guess it's time to go to bed." Dez said, ending with a yawn.

They said there goodnights, and headed off to each of their rooms. Well...all but two. The two stood beside Austin's door and smiled.

"I had a really great first day, Ally."

"I'm glad. You're a real joy to have, Austin."

They awkwardly smiled at each other before parting into their bedrooms.

Austin plopped down on his small bed, starring up at the blank ceiling. He closed his eyes, and smiled. Once again, he was happy.


End file.
